Antibacterial and anti-dustmite pillows and pillow encasings

ABSTRACT

Hygienic, antibacterial, and anti-allergenic pillows or pillow encasings with a covering are disclosed. The covering comprises a fabric coated with a monolithic coating and a filter. The monolithic coating prevents moisture from entering the pillow and allergens from leaving the pillow or pillow encasing. The filter is operative to allow air to egress and ingress the pillow covering.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to technology, materials, and methods forhypoallergenic bedding products, particularly, bed pillows and methodsfor covering and protecting pillows from organic contamination.

BACKGROUND

Formal and informal laboratory testing of pillows has shown that overyears of use they can become a source of not only house dust mites andtheir allergens, but also various species of fungi and bacteria. Theseorganic contaminates contribute to pathologies such as allergies,asthma, and chronic sinusitis. It has been established that usingallergen avoidance measures, such as pillow and mattress encasings, caneffectively control these conditions.

Bed pillows are usually constructed of a fabric covering, whichcomprises pieces of fabric made of natural fibers, synthetic fibers, ora combination of natural and synthetic fibers. Sewing the fabric along aseam that runs along the circumference of the pillow forms a covering. Afiller of either synthetic fiberfill, down (feathers), latex foam, orviscoelastic foam inside the covering creates a pillow.

In addition to pillows constructed of two pieces of fabric joined at acenter-sewn seam, some pillows are constructed with side gussets ofvarying widths. These gussets are created by adding a strip of fabricapproximately one inch wide on each of the four sides of a pillowbetween the top and bottom covers of the pillow. The gussets allow thepillow filling to spread out, creating an area of support for a user'sneck along the edges of the pillow.

A traditional pillow covering made of porous, woven materials allowsmoisture from the ambient air, the user's breath, or the user's salivato enter the filling of the pillow. This moisture contributes increating a warm, damp environment, which promotes the growth of dustmites, mold (fungus), and bacteria. Only coverings made from coatedfabrics are able to stop moisture from entering the filling of a pillow.

Allergen-proof covers that prevent allergen egress are used in bedding(e.g., pillows, mattresses, box springs, duvets, and bed upholstery) toblock dust mites and their fecal allergens so that a user does notbreathe them in during sleep or use of a bed. Even though a pillow thathas a coated fabric can prevent the entry of moisture into the pillowand stop the egress of allergens, the outside coated fabric can stillbecome contaminated with allergens.

Typically, the coated fabrics used in pillows are coated on the insidesurfaces of the pillow covering so that the user does not feel thecoating while using the pillow. Thus, the outside surfaces of thecovering fabric are untreated. The outside of the covering can collectmoisture that promotes the growth of fungal spores, bacteria, andendotoxins on the outside of the pillow covering.

Therefore, to effectively prevent contamination, a pillow coveringshould not allow moisture to enter the pillow, should prevent the egressof allergens, and so resist the surface growth of bacteria, fungus, anddust mites on the outside of the covering.

Additionally, because pillow coverings come into direct or indirect(e.g., through a pillowcase) contact with the human body, it is desiredthat they be pleasing to the touch and quiet during sleep. For aestheticas well as for reasons of comfort, the outer fabric of the pillow mustdrape properly, not feel stiff, and not trap air.

A monolithic coating the fabric of an entire pillow results in a pillowthat traps air. If a pillow traps air, it becomes uncomfortable becauseit gives a user the feeling that they are resting on a balloon filledwith air as opposed to a traditional pillow that allows air to egressthrough the pillow covering. Therefore, simply coating an entire pillowcovering to make it hypoallergenic results in an uncomfortable pillow.

Thus, there is a need for a pillow that has properties that resist thesurface growth of bacteria, fungus, and dust mites on the outside of thecovering, prevents moisture from entering the pillow, and allows for anexchange of air between the inside of the pillow and the ambient air.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a drawing of a hypoallergenic pillow in use.

FIG. 1B is a partial cross-section drawing of a hypoallergenic pillow.

FIG. 2 is a drawing of a gusseted hypoallergenic pillow.

FIG. 3 is a drawing of a hypoallergenic pillow covering with a zipperclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In addition to the drawings discussed above, this description describesone or more embodiments as illustrated in the above-referenced drawings.However, there is no intent to limit this disclosure to a singleembodiment or embodiments that are disclosed herein. On the contrary,the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalentsincluded within the spirit and scope of this disclosure and as definedby the appended claims.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a pillow 100 and user 108. The pillow 100comprises a filling material (not shown), and a covering 102 thatincludes a fabric 101 and a filter 104.

The pillow 100 is constructed by sewing two pieces of fabric togetheraround the circumference of the fabric, allowing an opening for fillingthe resulting cover with a filling material, filling the cover withfilling material, and closing the cover by sewing all of the remainingopen edges together.

The filling material can include synthetic fiberfill, down (feathers),latex foam, viscoelastic foam, or any other material known in the artsuitable for filling a pillow.

The cover 102 is constructed of the fabric 101 that may be, but is notlimited to a knit fabric, a woven fabric, a non-woven fabric, aneedle-punched fabric, or a stitch-bonded fabric. It may be made ofnatural fibers such as cotton, synthetic fibers such as polyester, or acombination of natural fibers and synthetic fibers.

In one embodiment, the fabric 101 can also include an agent or compoundthat has antimicrobial properties. Such fabrics are known in the art toprovide antimicrobial activity. An antimicrobial agent includes, but isnot limited to, an antimicrobial, an antibiotic, an antifungal agent,and an antiviral agent. Some metals are useful as antimicrobial agentsin the fabric 101. They include, but are not limited to, silver,platinum, gold, zinc, copper, cerium, gallium, osmium, and the like. Thepreferred metal is silver. The antimicrobial agent can be impregnatedwithin the fabric 101, e.g., via wearing or knitting fibers or materialincluding the antimicrobial agent into the fabric 101 or applying acoating of material including the antimicrobial agent to the fabric 101.

As discussed above, the use of a monolithic or other airtight coating onthe entire covering will result in an uncomfortable pillow that trapsair. Therefore, the pillow includes a filter 104 sewn into the covering102. The filter 104 allows the ingress and egress of air 106 to and fromthe inside of the pillow 100. The filter 104 is constructed of amaterial that has a high degree of filtration pathogens, such as thatused in surgical masks or other very tightly woven material. In oneembodiment, the filter 104 is made of a material with at least an N-95rating. The N-95 rating, established by the U.S. National Institute forOccupational Safety and Health, means that the material will stop 95% ofall particles that are 0.3 microns or larger from passing through, withthe “N” signifying that the filtration efficiency does not apply to oil.The filter 104 is sewn to the pillow covering fabric 101 using stitching110.

FIG. 1B shows a partial cross section of pillow 100 with the covering102 and filler material 112. The fabric 101 is coated with a monolithicor microporous material 103 on the inside of the covering 102 thatprevents moisture and allergens such as dust mites, mold (fungus), andbacteria from entering or exiting the pillow 100 through the fabric 101.

A number of procedures known in the art including but not limited tolamination, coating, or calendaring may bond the monolithic material 103to the fabric 101.

The monolithic material 103 may be, but is not limited to any blownpolyurethane-based film, cast polyurethane-based film, blownpolyethylene-based film, cast polyethylene-based film, polyvinylchloride (PVC) based film, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) based film, orany other material with similar properties.

The filter 104 is a portion of the covering 102 that does not includethe monolithic material 103. The filter 104 includes a fabric 105. Thefabric 105 may be the same type as fabric 101, but without a monolithiccoating, to give the cover 102 a uniform feel while still allowing forthe ingress and egress of air 106. Alternatively, the filter 104 can beof a different material. Since the filter 104 allows air 106 to ingressand egress the pillow 100, the pillow 100 functions like a traditionalpillow while remaining hygienic. Fabric 105 may be a different fabric orcan have different colors or markings from fabric 101.

In FIG. 1A, the filter 104 is positioned at one end of the face of thepillow. In this manner, any allergens or microbes egressing from thepillow 100 will not be directly breathed in by the user. However, thefilter 104 can be positioned anywhere in the pillow covering 102 and canbe of any shape so long as the filter 104 allows the ingress and egressof air 106 in and out of the pillow 100. For example, the filter 104 canbe of a circular or other shape instead of the rectangular stripdepicted in FIG. 1A.

FIG. 2 is another embodiment of the disclosed pillow, depicting a pillow200 with side gussets 207. The side gussets 207 are strips of fabric 201that are sewn between the top and bottom faces of the pillow 200. Theyallow the filler material (not shown) to spread out under a user's neck(not shown).

A covering fabric 201 is coated with a monolithic or microporous coating(not shown) on the inside of a cover 202. A filter 204 is incorporatedinto one of the side gussets 203 thereby allowing the ingress and egressof air 206 in and out of the pillow 200.

In this non-limiting example of the gussetted pillow 200 shown in FIG.2, the filter 204 is incorporated into a side gusset 207; the filter 206may be positioned anywhere in the pillow covering 202 and may be anyshape so long as the filter 204 allows the ingress and egress of air 206in and out of the pillow 200.

FIG. 3 shows one embodiment of a pillow encasing 300. The pillowencasing 300 has a covering 302 with all of the elements of the previousembodiments including, a fabric 301 coated with a monolithic ormicroporous coating (not shown) on either the inside or outside of thefabric 301 and a filter 304 that allows the ingress and egress of air306. However, the pillow encasing 300 also has a closure assembly 307that allows the pillow encasing 300 to encase a pillow.

A traditional pillow (not shown) can be disposed within or placed intothe pillow encasing 300. The closure assembly 307, which is depicted asa zipper in this embodiment, secures the pillow inside the pillowencasing 300. The closure assembly 307 can be a different mechanism inother embodiments, such as, but not limited to, snaps, buttons, areleasable seal, a flap of material, etc. Thus, with the pillow encasing300, a wide variety of pillows may be used inside the encasing 300 whilemaintaining the hygienic benefits of the present invention. In addition,the pillow encasing 300 is preferably removable for cleaning.

1. (canceled)
 2. The pillow claim 19, wherein said fabric comprises:natural fibers; synthetic fibers; or a combination of natural fibers andsynthetic fibers.
 3. (canceled)
 4. The pillow of claim 19, wherein saidfabric is bonded to a monolithic film.
 5. The pillow of claim 4, whereinthe film is selected from the group consisting of: a blownpolyurethane-based film; a cast polyurethane-based film; a blownpolyethylene-based film; a cast polyethylene-based film; a polyvinylchloride (PVC) based film; and a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) basedfilm.
 6. The pillow of claim 19, wherein said filter is a microporousmaterial.
 7. The pillow of claim 6, wherein said microporous materialhas a filtration efficiency of an N-95 rating.
 8. (canceled)
 9. Thepillow encasing of claim 20, wherein said closure assembly is a zipper.10. The pillow encasing of claim 20, wherein said fabric comprises:natural fibers synthetic fibers; or a combination of natural fibers andsynthetic fibers.
 11. (canceled)
 12. The pillow encasing of claim 20,wherein said fabric is bonded to a monolithic film.
 13. The pillowencasing of claim 12, wherein the film is selected from the groupconsisting of: a blown polyurethane-based film; a castpolyurethane-based film; a blown polyethylene-based film; a castpolyethylene-based film; a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) based film; and apolytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) based film.
 14. The pillow encasing ofclaim 20, wherein said filter is a microporous material.
 15. The pillowencasing of claim 14, wherein said microporous material has a filtrationefficiency of an N-95 rating.
 16. The pillow of claim 19, wherein saidfabric is bonded to a microporous film.
 17. The pillow encasing of claim20, wherein said fabric is bonded to a microporous film.
 18. (canceled)19. A pillow comprising: a filler; an airtight cover completelyenclosing said filler, said airtight cover comprises a fabric; saidairtight cover including a filter, said filter composed of a materialhaving passages of a size sufficient to permit the ingress and egress ofair under pressure, above atmospheric pressure, and restrain the passageof allergy producing particles through said filter, said filter beingthe sole passage for the ingress and egress of air under pressure, aboveatmospheric pressure, into and out of said pillow; said pillow issubstantially rectangular having at least two longitudinal sides and atleast two lateral ends; said filter extending substantially between saidat least two longitudinal sides, said filter being positioned adjacentto and spaced from one of said at least two lateral ends.
 20. A pillowencasing for use with a pillow comprising: said pillow encasing being asubstantially rectangular hollow enclosure having a top, a bottom, atleast two longitudinal sides and at least two lateral ends; said atleast two longitudinal sides extending between said top and said bottom;said at least two lateral ends extending between said top and saidbottom; said pillow encasing comprises a fabric composed of an airtightmaterial; said pillow encasing including a filter, said filter composedof a material having passages of a size sufficient to permit the ingressand egress of air under pressure, above atmospheric pressure, andrestrain the passage of allergy producing particles through said filter;said filter extending substantially between said at least twolongitudinal sides, said filter being positioned adjacent to and spacedfrom one of said at least two lateral ends; said filter being the solepassage for the ingress and egress of air under pressure, aboveatmospheric pressure, into and out of said pillow encasing; one of saidat least two lateral ends of said pillow encasing providing an openingto an interior of said substantially rectangular hollow enclosure; aclosure assembly secured to said lateral end of said pillow encasingwhich includes said opening, said closure assembly operatively openingand closing said lateral end of said pillow encasing whereby a pillowcan be inserted into said pillow encasing.